Securely Deploying a PostgreSQL Database for a FastAPI App in AWS Using Pulumi

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Pulumi is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that combines the best features of Terraform and AWS CDK. It supports multiple programming languages and provides a cross-platform solution for cloud resource management. Below is an example of deploying a PostgreSQL database for a FastAPI application on AWS using Pulumi.

Reference: Securely deploying a PostgreSQL database for a FastAPI app in AWS using Pulumi

You Should Know:

1. Install Pulumi and Configure AWS

Before starting, install Pulumi and set up AWS credentials:

 Install Pulumi (Linux/macOS)
curl -fsSL https://get.pulumi.com | sh

Verify installation 
pulumi version

Configure AWS CLI (if not set up) 
aws configure 

2. Initialize a Pulumi Project

Create a new Pulumi project in Python (or your preferred language):

mkdir pulumi-postgres && cd pulumi-postgres 
pulumi new aws-python 

3. Define PostgreSQL RDS Instance

Modify `__main__.py` to define an RDS instance:

import pulumi 
from pulumi_aws import rds, ec2

Create a security group for PostgreSQL 
db_security_group = ec2.SecurityGroup( 
"postgres-sg", 
description="Allow PostgreSQL inbound traffic", 
ingress=[ec2.SecurityGroupIngressArgs( 
protocol="tcp", 
from_port=5432, 
to_port=5432, 
cidr_blocks=["0.0.0.0/0"],  Restrict in production! 
)], 
)

Create an RDS PostgreSQL instance 
postgres_instance = rds.Instance( 
"fastapi-db", 
engine="postgres", 
engine_version="13.4", 
instance_class="db.t3.micro", 
allocated_storage=20, 
username="admin", 
password="securepassword123",  Use Pulumi secrets in production 
skip_final_snapshot=True, 
vpc_security_group_ids=[db_security_group.id], 
)

Export the endpoint 
pulumi.export("db_endpoint", postgres_instance.endpoint) 

4. Deploy the Infrastructure

Run the following commands:

pulumi up  Preview and deploy 

5. Connect to PostgreSQL

Use `psql` to verify the connection:

psql -h <DB_ENDPOINT> -U admin -d postgres 

What Undercode Say:

Pulumi simplifies IaC by leveraging real programming languages, making it more flexible than Terraform or AWS SAM. Below are additional commands to enhance your IaC workflow:

Linux & AWS CLI Commands

 List all RDS instances 
aws rds describe-db-instances

Take an RDS snapshot 
aws rds create-db-snapshot --db-instance-identifier fastapi-db --db-snapshot-identifier backup-2025

Check Pulumi stack outputs 
pulumi stack output 

Terraform Comparison

If you were using Terraform, the equivalent commands would be:

terraform init 
terraform apply 

Pulumi’s advantage is its ability to use loops, conditionals, and functions directly in Python/TypeScript.

Expected Output:

  • A PostgreSQL RDS instance running in AWS.
  • Security group allowing port 5432.
  • Exported endpoint for application connection.

Prediction:

As IaC evolves, tools like Pulumi will gain more traction due to their developer-friendly approach, reducing the need for DSLs like HCL (Terraform). Expect deeper integrations with Kubernetes and serverless frameworks.

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Darryl Ruggles – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass āœ…

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